A Lifetime Together
by InLoveWithJesse
Summary: DH Spoilers 3 Years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry is crashing at the Burrow with his best friend and the girl he loves. He finds himself contemplating marriage and children, and looking for Dark Wizards who might be after him. Rating might change.
1. Prologue

**A Lifetime Together**

**Prologue**

It was a bright morning, windy and sunny, and as the sun dawned over the odd building, gnomes in the yard began to run out of their holes and explore the vegetables recently grown, carefully looking around for the big, ginger cat, who tended to run outside at the crack of dawn and try to 'play' with them.

The two young men, one black-haired, with dazzling green eyes, slightly skinny physique, glasses, and a lightning scar on his forehead; the other with flaming red hair and a sea of freckles all over his face, and blue eyes, looking nervous, were both up, as early as it was, discussing something in rapid tones.

Most of the house was still sleeping. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly, the redheaded husband and wife, were in the master bedroom, Mr. Weasly snoring loudly, but he had woken no one; George, the redheaded 22-year-old, usually slept at the flat over his joke shop, but he had come on the occasion of all of the family being able to gather for several weeks together, though he had been spending the last few years mostly alone, still grieving the loss of his twin; Ginny and Hermione, sleeping in Ginny's room, were both sleeping quietly under the new light coming from the small window. The ginger cat the gnomes were fearing, Hermione's own Crookshanks, lay purring at her feet on the bed while she slept, a picture of the same red-headed man in the other room and her in a coffee shop at their one-year anniversary sitting on Hermione's nightstand, and a picture of the black haired man with Ginny in front of a lake, on hers. Opposed to usual pictures, these pictures were moving; both couples were cuddling cutely and smiling in both of them.

The black-haired man was none other than Harry Potter, three years after his glorious defeat of the darkest wizard known to this day. The red-haired one was Ron Weasley, his best friend and his colleague at the Auror office. They had met nine years ago on the Hogwarts Express and remained friends to that day and much, much, longer; they were an invincible pair, inseparable, and strongest together.

Bill, Charlie and Percy were to arrive that afternoon. Bill would come with Fleur and young Victoire, his daughter, Charlie with his girlfriend, a mysterious British girl he met in Romania under the name of Jessica, and Percy with his wife, Penelope, who was to have a baby in a few months. Harry, who had known Percy also for quite a while and saw him as his least-favorite Weasley, was happy for Percy, yet he wasn't too happy that the somewhat pompous Weasley brother was coming to yet again speak big headedly on his newest promotion and the names he and Penelope thought of for the child; he'd already had several things on his mind without Percy's issues being thrown at his face as well.

Harry had been dating Ginny for three years now, and was starting to have odd thoughts, fantasies and dreams. These were not dreams the likes of which he had in his Hogwarts years, which included, to Harry's much fear and dislike, the awful sights of murder and violence, which, unfortunately, were not the fruits of his imagination, but actual occurrences all over Britain and the whole world. These included more pleasant scenarios, such as Harry and Ginny under a white marquee, or Ginny with a big pregnant belly, or setting out to Diagon Alley to buy new spell books and wands for little children with green eyes, like his. Harry was dreaming about what he desperately hoped was his future. It had been a while since these dreams started happening, but long before he had hoped this fate would magically occur to him; he had not had, up till then, what most people would call a perfect family life.

After finishing their years at Hogwarts, Harry and Ron began training to be Aurors (Dark Wizard catchers) and Hermione had also began a career in the Ministry, where she joined the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. In the two years that she had spent there, she had already made an incredible improvement in the way wizards treat house-elves and many other less-counted-for creatures. People all over the Ministry - especially the Minister himself, Kingsley Shackelbolt, who had already made so many changes in the Ministry, it was much more than decent, even fantastic - were talking about moving Hermione to Magical Law, as they knew the changes she would make there would be phenomenal and extremely beneficial. George, who was getting plenty of help from Ron as his partner perished in the Battle of Hogwarts, had already expanded _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_ to a full chain. Ginny had been accepted to be a chaser at the all-witch Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies, and managed to win them not a few games. Harry always knew she could make it, but he started noticing she was as good as him now, and nearly better.

To his great delight, Ron confided in Harry several days previously that the same thoughts that had been running through Harry's mind for so long had been running through Ron's as well – though, thank God, they were not about Ginny, but about Hermione. It made Harry perfectly giddy, the idea of his two best friends getting married, but he had 'forgotten' to mention to Ron that he was contemplating marrying his own girlfriend of three years – Ginny was Ron's little sister, and he was so protective that after three years of living with Harry at the Burrow, while Harry and Ginny were stuck to each other as if by a Permanent Sticking Charm, Ron still recoiled and winced whenever the young couple displayed the slightest act of affection, so Harry doubted Ron would be too happy at the thought of Harry and Ginny being bound forever, and living alone. In fact, he believed Ron might even insist they would _not_ get married… So he thought, better to think it over some more before getting Ron worked up.

"But what if she'll say no?" Ron asked nervously, for about the fiftieth time that morning. He was sitting on his bed, in his maroon pajamas, his hair messed up and his hands put together. He seemed to be staring at a spot on the carpet.

Harry sighed. The idea of Hermione, who couldn't be more smitten with Ron for all these years, saying no to his offer of marriage, was positively hilarious. He couldn't help but remember vividly the scene at the eve of their final N.E.W.T:

"_It's like a dream… It's like we've finally realized what we have together, and it's perfect… As if our souls are bound or something… I couldn't be happier," Hermione had said, a smile so wide upon her face as if she had been sleeping with a clothing hanger in her mouth. "The past year was just this disarray of feelings, and I feel… I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world, since we fell in love with each other. Oh, damn, the Transfiguration test's tomorrow… have you seen my _Advanced Transfiguration Handbook_?"_

It was at the library, when Hermione finally managed to say goodbye to Ron when he valiantly went to get her books, which she had forgotten to take, from the common room. Since then, Harry couldn't be more certain that Hermione and Ron were meant to be… and frankly, he was surprised with himself at the fact that he hadn't realized this simple fact all these years.

As for him and Ginny… as the thought leaped to his mind, yet another scene had popped into it:

_They were at the Hogwarts grounds at twilight, over by the lake, menacingly close to the giant squid. But they didn't mind at all. Ginny's lips were on Harry's, and Harry was holding her tightly and caressing her back. She had both her arms around his neck and seemed to come closer and closer toward him every second, as if she couldn't be close enough. It was divine, her smell, and the way she felt… _

"_Promise me… Promise it won't end again, that it'll last forever, that there'll be no more calling quits…" she panted, between kisses. Even as Harry kissed her, his mouth twitched to a brilliant smile. _

"_I won't dream of it… It was unbearable, knowing you were out there, knowing you might not be safe, I couldn't stop thinking about it, about you… I couldn't ever bare to be apart from you again…"_

_The words came out of his mouth, but he didn't even notice it. He had never told Ginny how he longed for her during that awful year, how he searched through the Marauder's Map for her dot every night at the girls' dormitory. But as he was kissing her, as she was revealing how she herself felt then, he couldn't bare to hold it in. He couldn't notice anymore, but the words "I love you" were now shooting out of his mouth over and over, and she was saying it too… Finally, he was getting his share…_

He switched back to the present. That day had been one of the happiest days of his life, he still used that memory for his Patronus nearly every time. Ginny, like nothing else, had made his Patronus so strong, he was actually feared by the Dementors every time they sent him to visit Azkaban, which, frankly, due to his occupation and high ranks at the Ministry, was quite often. Suddenly, his thoughts drifting from his Patronus and back to Ginny, he realized he had actually told her they would be together forever, so he had agreed to marry her quite a while ago. Surprisingly enough for him, it didn't bother him at all.

"She won't say no," Harry said laughingly, also for the fiftieth time, averting his mind from a lifetime with Ginny back to Ron's own marriage contemplations. At first he was acting reassuring, as he knew himself how unnerving it could be, but now, a half-an-hour later, it was simply amusing.

"How can you know that?" Ron leapt to his feet, pacing. Harry didn't move from where he lay on his bed, as Ron had done this so many times since they had woken up, he saw there was no point. "What if she's changed her mind? What if _Viktor_ will come back or something, she'll probably pick him over me anyway…"

"You're being ridiculous," Harry said, unable to stifle a laugh. "Didn't you read the _Prophet_ last week? Krum's getting married, it was all over the paper, don't you remember, that Italian Quidditch Player?"

Viktor Krum had indeed announced his engagement to Italian Quidditch Player, Annabelle Botalino, only a week earlier. But this, instead of reassuring Ron Hermione and Krum were ancient history, had only reminded him of Krum and Hermione's closeness at their fourth year. The foolproof sign that Ron was terrified of Hermione abandoning him for Krum was shown to Harry just a few days earlier; Harry and Ron had gone to inspect a house in Yorkshire, where a family suspected to be cursing Muggles and collecting dark items resided. They were innocent, but their kitchen cupboard held a Boggart, and before Ron cast the Riddikulus Charm on it, causing it to blow to pieces, Harry had seen his Boggart: Hermione, wearing a white dress, kissing the Bulgarian athlete, wearing a glistening wedding ring. He had not mentioned it, knowing how embarrassed it would make Ron, but he made sure not to speak of Krum unless he had to in front of Ron.

Light was gleaming brightly into the little room now. The sound of a door opening in the house was heard through Ron and Harry's own door, as they were both quiet after the mentioning of Krum. Ron sat back down on his bed, in the same old, nervous position, apparently bearing no retort, as Mrs. Weasly, still wearing her flowery dressing gown and yawning, entered the room.

"Morning, dears," she said sleepily. "Nice to see you up already. Why don't you get dressed and go downstairs, I'll wake everyone up and be down in a minute to make breakfast. Ron, why are you skulking?"

Mrs. Weasly had super-senses to detect any sort of distinct feeling with her sons, and since Harry moved in and practically became her kind-of-son anyway, also Harry's. So it was obvious she would notice Ron being upset over Hermione business… She was simply asking to be polite.

"Nothing, Mum, we'll be right down. Do you remember where my nice robes were?"

"Your second drawer, dear. I'll see you in a minute, then."

Harry and Ron dressed, brushed their teeth and descended down the stairs. The odd house was just as usually cramped and slightly messy, but otherwise it was extremely pleasant. A broom was sweeping the kitchen floor and a small rag was cleaning the kitchen table. The first time Harry saw things like these happening in the Burrow, he was astonished; now, he was so used to the broom greeting him in the morning, he shooed it away when it got too close, as if it was some kind of excessively annoying dog.

Two owls were perched on one of the windows; one was a Snowy owl, just like Hedwig was, that Harry had got after her terrible death. The owl's name was Todd, picked out by Ron, on a very un-creative morning. The other was a brown, sleepy owl. His name was Shabby, the Weasly owl. They had replaced poor Errol long ago, when it accidentally flew through the chimney instead of the window and reminded everyone weirdly of a big, winged lump of ash.

On another window, Fox, George's owl, mainly for shop orders, sat in his cage, along with Pig, Ron's tiny scops owl. A portrait of an old, red-headed man, one of Arthur's deceased great-uncles, told Ron, "My, you look rather scruffy today," and Ron retorted angrily, "Bugger off, we're having a private conversation." The man in the portrait tut-tutted irrespectively and vanished, leaving a strange, pinkish backdrop behind.

"Ron, you've got to calm down," Harry said, hoping it will be the last time. "I'm tired of saying this, but I'll say it again: She won't say no! She loves you so much, she's up to her ears with it, she's told me so loads of times, I'm sure she'll think nothing's better than marrying you."

Ron, despite of himself, gave his mouth an odd twitch, the closest he's had to a smile all morning.

"God, I hope she will. 'Cause, you know, I bought a ring." Ron smiled a little more now. The thought of an engagement ring on Hermione's finger must have made him happy.

"You did?" Harry asked, amazed. "Let us see it then!"

"I can't! With Mum around here, lurking in every corner, just waiting for me to finally pull out a ring, she'll tell Ginny and Ginny'll tell Hermione… It'll be a big mess."

Harry couldn't help agreeing silently with Ron. Mrs. Weasley did seem to be everywhere you wouldn't want her to be, and when she found something out, she couldn't bare to hold it in. It would be an honest disaster if she found out about Ron's plans.

"Look, but what if—"

But Ron was cut off by the sounds of voices, footsteps and yawning. The rest of the family had woken up and was coming downstairs. Harry held his index finger to his mouth.

"Good morning," Mr. Weasley said, coming down the stairs. Behind him were Mrs. Weasley, now dressed in her robes, but still sleepy; George, looking slightly bitter, as he had for a while; Ginny, in a purple sweater and jeans; and finally Hermione, her bushy hair pulled back, wearing Muggle clothes similar to Ginny's, Crookshanks close at her heels, gazing out the door, in search of gnomes.

The others said good morning as well, as Ginny came to kiss Harry and Hermione kiss Ron. Harry didn't know if he was imagining it, but the look on Ginny's face indicated that she, like him, really, was still in the 'honeymoon' phase of their relationship, as long as it might've been already, and so was Hermione. Both girls were deeply in love, and nothing Ron could claim could change that.

They sat and ate once Mrs. Weasley had quickly fixed up a nice breakfast, mostly quiet except for exchanging expectations to the upcoming weeks: Several days after the rest of the Weasleys come, Hermione's parents would come too, to meet the man Hermione had 'told them so much about'. Celestina Warbeck was singing in the radio, and Mrs. Weasley was humming the tune. Finally, when the song ended and everyone were buried deep in their pudding, Mrs. Weasley asked,

"So, Harry, Ron, what were you so upset about this morning?"

Ron and Harry glanced at each other, and noticed all of the others' eyes were on them, and so Ron muttered, "Nothing, nothing at all. Just… you know, work. Work and stuff."

Harry stifled a laugh. Then he said, "Ron's just a little unsure about something."

He laughed a private sort of laugh, and spotted Mrs. Weasley looked scarily at him.

"Don't worry. You'll know."


	2. Secrets and Strolls

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters that were in Harry Potter, same for the locations, the already existing plot… Well, you know the deal. I don't own anything except the actual story. It all belongs to brilliant J.K., so DON'T SUE ME! Enjoy.

**A Lifetime Together**

**Chapter 1 – Secrets and Strolls**

It was a very nice, chilly Saturday. Ginny and Harry were strolling along a path at a forest just outside Ottery St. Catchpole. The leaves were getting orange, and the noon-time sunlight was blazing through the tree-tops. Ginny and Harry had taken the opportunity for some time alone and Apparated into the woods. Since the Burrow always held Ginny's relatives, Harry was always reluctant to kiss her and hold her there, so the woods had become one of their favorite places to go to be alone.

"It's a great day," she said casually. Her brown eyes shone dazzlingly as she looked at him. He fiddled nervously with his fingers. This felt like the perfect time, they were all alone, the ring was in his robe pocket, and it was a beautiful diamond, silvered ring. He had picked it at one of the jewelry stores at Hogsmeade a few days previously, 'just in case'. The clerk told him the ring would open and release 2 little flowers and birds when placed on the finger of a woman in love. All he needs to do is remove the box from his pocket, and ask her…

He found himself asking the same questions he had laughed at Ron asking: _What if she'll say no?_ Then another voice, a slightly smaller one, but strong all the same, recited in his mind: _She won't say no, she's in love with you, you know that, just ask her, just ask her…_

Ginny stopped. Harry stopped next to her. She reached out and touched his cheek, smiling. "Why are you so quiet today?" she asked. She was moving closer. The little voice in Harry's head along with the creature residing in his stomach that flipped every time Ginny kissed him, shouted, "Ask her! _Ask her_!"

Instead, he simply uttered, "I love you," and she grinned. "I know," she whispered laughingly and drew another step closer. She put his lips on his… his breaking point. It was useless. How would he be able to make what could be the right decision with her kissing him?

And then, as Ginny's tongue traveled into his mouth, he realized: this is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, just her, a wedding with her, having children with her… How could he possibly hold it in?

He broke apart. Ginny still had her eyes closed when he stopped it. She looked worriedly at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Harry started fiddling with his fingers again. "Harry, if there's something the matter, just say it…"

She seemed to be frightened. Her eyes glistened with tears. _Why would she cry?_ He thought.

"Um, Ginny, uh… I, I've been, um, thinking and, I sort of, you know…" he muttered quietly. A tear rolled down Ginny's freckled cheek. "You're breaking up with me," she declared. "You're breaking your promise."

Harry suddenly awoke with a start from his daze. "No! God, no, Ginny, of course not, how could I, I promise I'm not, and I won't…"

Ginny seemed to have relaxed a bit, but she still looked worried and teary-eyed. "Then what is it?" she asked.

"Well, do you remember, that night, at Hogwarts, our seventh year, when we were kissing by the river and I promised you we'll be together forever…" his nervousness seemed to be getting to him. He was shivering painfully.

"Really, Harry, are you breaking up with me or not, because it really seems like you are," she said, a little anger now appearing in her tone.

"No, Ginny, I'm not… I just, you know, I've been thinking it over and I realized I really _do_ want to spend every last day of my life with you, so, I was just thinking…"

_I sound so thick_, he thought, as he heard himself uttering the words. His knees started to give way, and he took the chance and got down on one knee, nearly falling off, he was shivering so badly.

Ginny's expression changed from anger and worry to something between happiness and shock in a mere moment. She looked down at Harry's form on the ground, staring into her eyes, as if for approval.

"Come on, Harry," she said jokingly. "You slaughtered a basilisk and you can't ask a little question? Go on. Ask."

Harry smiled. It did seem ridiculous that he would battle the darkest wizard in the world and wouldn't be able to ask his girlfriend to marry him.

He put his shivering hand in his robes pocket, and put out a little, velvet box. On it was the scarlet and yellow crest of the Gryffindor lion. Harry had added it himself, not perfectly, but nicely. Even though the lion's mane was pink, and it had no claws in one paw, it was very recognizable.

Ginny's lips twitched to a grin. _This is it,_ Harry thought. _She's smiling, she won't say no_…

He could barely open the box with the amount he was shivering, but when he did, the ring glistened beautifully and reflected in Ginny's glowing eyes. It was a princess cut, with a band the exact color of Ginny's eyes, and small stones in the sides, the color of her hair. Ginny seemed to have noticed that, since her smile looked even wider. The creature in Harry's stomach jumped.

"Um… Well…"

"_Will_…" she mouthed, and Harry realized she was helping him ask it. "_You_…"

Harry suddenly blurted out, "Will-you-marry-me?" so fast, that it was barely understandable. But Ginny seemed to have caught it.

She slowly got down on one knee in front of him. She was looking into his eyes sweetly. Harry was shivering so badly now, his hand actually dropped and he nearly lost his balance.

Ginny brought her mouth to his ear, and whispered, softly and quietly, "Of course."

A huge smile spread across Harry's face. He grabbed both her cheeks with his hands and traced his way from her ear to her mouth with his. His eyes closed and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She put his arms around him and roamed his whole body with them. This was a perfect moment, the kind of moment you always hear about but never actually experience. Leaves were falling on the tops of their heads and the earth was warm. The sun shone on them, as if God was giving approval, and they lay together on their backs and kissed, a fire surging through Harry's body and the creature in his stomach dancing the happiest victory dance.

They sat back up and Harry picked up the ring. It seemed to be oddly warm in his hand. Like everything else in this amazing world, it had powers he couldn't imagine.

He slid it on her finger. As promised, the diamond broke into two like a small, diamond locket, and out of it came two tiny roses, which around them circled two, tiny, blue birds, which eventually met each other and put their beaks together before the ring closed. Ginny laughed with delight.

"Mum will be flabbergasted," she said. "She'll probably be so happy she'll have heart failure."

"No, we can't tell them just yet," he said quickly. "Imagine what Ron'll do! He's really protective of you; do we really need all the mess?"

Ginny gazed at him, apparently torn. "Well, who cares?" she said finally. "We're _engaged_, right? He'll find out eventually. And I don't care if he's _protective_… We've been together for three years; he can't still think all we've done is a peck on the cheek?"

Harry couldn't help thinking Ginny was right. They have been sneaking up to this place to fool around for quite some time; he must have known they haven't just been going to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers.

"I still worry about what he'll say. You've seen how he is. Why don't we just keep the whole thing quiet until we've settled all the details?"

Ginny agreed reluctantly. Then Harry smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her. The euphoria of what had just happened had barely even dawned on him yet. He was _marrying_ Ginny. It just seemed a little too good to be true. Harry imagined Uncle Vernon's reply to this engagement:

"_You're getting married, eh? Someone actually desperate enough to take you? Is she from your lot, too? She is, huh? Didn't think differently at all, boy. Like anyone normal would want to marry you. You don't expect me to come to the wedding, do you?"_

He laughed to himself, when they broke apart, as he compared this scenario to Hermione's:

"_You ARE? That's fantastic! I can't believe it! Can I be a bridesmaid? And help with the planning? I know a lot of good spells that could work for the ceremony, it won't hurt… Wow, this is amazing!" _

He didn't dare try to imagine Ron's response. Sure, he had long agreed to Ginny and Harry being together, but will he be fine with something as big as _this_?

Suddenly, for some reason, he remembered his parents, Sirius, and Lupin appearing beside him when he used the Resurrection Stone. He thought of his mother smiling happily at the idea of her little boy getting married, like everyone else, and of Sirius, ecstatic and beaming, and Lupin, wishing them congratulations joyfully, Tonks by his side, holding Teddy. What would it have been like if Voldemort hadn't have killed his parents? Would he have been friends with Ron, would he have noticed Ginny, if he was normal, like everyone else? Was it fate?

They started walking back toward the Burrow. Ginny had placed the ring on another finger, to make it look like a simple, mundane gift. As soon as they were close enough, they Disapparated back to the Burrow's front yard.

The place was as messy as usual. Though Mrs. Weasly had de-gnomed the front yard for the Weasly reunion coming up, they had magically found a way to return and were screaming curse words at Harry and Ginny (who were quietly discussing what it would be like to marry each other) and running in and out of their holes, carrying rotten radishes they pulled out of the back yard. For a change, however, the filthy Wellington boots were not there, though mud stains were still visible on the steps. Sounds of Mrs. Weasly yelling could be heard from the outside, and as they entered they watched, half frightened, half amused, as Ron paced around the kitchen and Mrs. Weasly shot blames at him.

"Look at this place, it's filthy, and didn't I ask you to clear the place up? Your brother just had a beautiful little girl and one of the first places she'll ever see is this pig's sty!

"And then Andromeda is coming with Teddy the next day, and you know how he likes to pick things up off the floor, he'll get sick! And what about Penelope, you know how pregnant women are very touchy, who knows what'll happen if she'll breathe in something you left on the floor?"

"Merlin, Mum, I cleaned it all up, and everyone helped, what you're seeing is microscopic clusters of dust that's been here since the 70's, because, apparently, you have a gift for detecting dirt!"

"Well, then tell me how this water ring got on the end table?" she asked, as Ginny began to snigger. "I told everyone not to leave any glasses on the tables without coasters!"

"That's been there since last year, Mum."

"Well, I don't like it! And I told you to clean it all up, didn't I?"

"But it's etched on the wood now, Mum, it won't come off, I've tried!"

"Well, try harder, Ronald!"

"Come _on_, I'm an adult now, I'll be moving out soon, so you've got to stop ordering me around!"

"Ordering you around?" she asked, appalled. "I asked you to clean up very politely!"

"No, I believe your exact words were 'get this place to shine or I'll stick the umbrella stand up your-'"

Ginny coughed loudly. They both stopped arguing and turned their gazes to the pair at the door. Harry was trying so hard not to laugh his cheeks had turned red. Ron's ears were even redder.

"Here, look at this," Ron said suddenly. "Your youngest daughter has been running off with Harry for the past three years in the middle of the day doing who knows what, and I'm being yelled at for not cleaning a water ring?"

Ginny walked forward and punched Ron in the shoulder. He squealed.

"What do you think we've been doing, you little pervert?"

"Don't get me started," Ron said warningly.

"Don't get _me_ started," Mrs. Weasly said, even more warningly, her arms bended at her sides. "And you really _should_ be careful, Ginny, you're unmarried, remember? I don't need another child to be mad at."

Ginny gave Harry a knowing look and punched Ron in the arm again. This time he tried to punch her back; she gave him a look that was surprisingly menacing and he backed out at the last moment. Ginny kissed Harry quite happily and departed to her room; Harry and Ron went up to theirs.

"What _are_ you doing with her?" Ron asked, fingering an old book from his Auror course, _The Dangers and Delights of Being an Auror_. "You know… When you vanish like that."

Harry hesitated. He had no intention of revealing to Ron that he'll be marrying his sister, especially once he told said sister not to tell anyone herself. Suddenly he was filled with an urge to let it out, to just tell his best friend, after all, he's not _just_ his fiancée's brother, he's his confidante…

But, for some reason, Harry said:

"Nothing. Just, you know, talk. Talk, and… and kiss."

"You don't… You Know What, right? At the Leaky Cauldron or something?"

"No, of course not," Harry said, a little too quickly.

"Good," he said, relieved. "Me and Hermione… We don't either. She wants me to meet her parents first," he uttered, sniggering. "Then, she says she'll want to get engaged. When we get engaged… She said… When we get engaged."

Ron now blushed so hard he looked like a red-headed tomato. Harry was struggling not to laugh.  
"I have been thinking about the getting engaged stuff," Ron said, still choosing every one of his words very carefully. "About what we were talking about this morning."

"Really?" Harry asked, suddenly intrigued. "And?"

"Well…" Ron seemed to be lost for words. "I… I really love her."

The corner of Harry's mouth twitched. "And she loves you too," he reassured Ron.

Ron didn't reply. He did, however, smile, and lie back on his bed. Harry mimicked him and stared very intently at the ceiling. He imagined what it would be like when Ron found out about the engagement… He quickly diverted it to thoughts of being married to Ginny and officially family with Ron.

* * *

Dinner that day had a nervous atmosphere to it. Mrs. Weasly was still unsatisfied over how 'filthy' the Burrow was, though everyone were forced to admit – not to her face, of course, because she would immediately go on a rant on every speck of dirt she could find in the house – it shone; Mr. Weasly went on and on the job shortage in Magical Law, hinting that Hermione should join it. She went rather pink and tried to change the subject. Ron was in his own mind, nudging his potatoes around his plate with his fork, his eyebrows furrowed; Ginny was staring at her engagement ring, still on the 'wrong' finger, her eyes drifting from fixated on either her left hand or Harry, and turning misty and unfocused, buried in her thoughts; George was eating his potatoes quietly, sometimes popping in on the conversation or letting out a rather feeble joke; and Harry was laughing with no reason, at silly things like Anna Hallworth from Magical Maintenance being unable to fix the cold fires at the Experimental Charms Department or Mr. Weasly trying to learn what happened when you try to recharge batteries with a wand. All in all, everything felt awfully mundane and not very warm. When everyone finished their food and Mrs. Weasly left to wash the dishes, everyone felt it was quite a relief.

However, Harry's happy haze broke when Hermione came up to him and said, quite giggly, "Harry, can I speak to you in the sitting room for a second?"

They left to the deserted sitting room and the second Harry close the door behind them Hermione squealed, "Oh my God, Harry, I can't believe you're engaged!"

Harry was shocked. He was amazed he could even manage to move his lips when he blurted out,

"How did you know about that?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Hermione said, barely composing herself from jumping on the sofa. "Ginny told me when you two came back. She told me you wanted to keep it quiet, but she couldn't help it! I'm so happy for you two, Harry! You really are meant for each other!"

Though his shock had very mildly subsided, he could still muster saying, "Um, thanks a lot?"

"Oh, I promise I won't tell, Harry, I swear! Though I really don't know why you don't want to let it out."

"Actually," Harry heard himself mutter, "I really _do_ want to let it out. But you know… Ron."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed. "He'll be gloriously happy for you, I'm sure of it! Well, if you don't want me to say it, I won't, but—"

But she was cut off by Ron getting through the door and saying,

"Hey, you've got to come see this, George just made up this new sweet, and we don't know if he'll _ever_ stop shooting fumes out his nose!"

Harry let out a tiny laugh and followed Ron downstairs, where he immediately heard the unsurprising sounds of what sounded like boiling water but was unmistakebly coming out George's nose, loud rasps of laughter from Ginny and Mr. Weasly and the distinctive sound of Mrs. Weasly, running around threatening George with the umbrella stand.

**A/N: Well, this is the end of the first official chapter. Thanks for the reviews, I'd be really happy for more. And, by the way, you should know right now, I'm an enormous fan of fluff. **

**Love, Dana.**

**REVIEW, MY SUSHI APPRENTICES, AND I SHALL GIVE YOU WASABI.**

**(Not taking credit for that one)**


	3. Visiting

**God, I'm SO sorry I didn't post for so long… I've just been way too busy, including getting lenses and a bus-load of assignments. I hope it won't happen again… and PLEASE don't be mad at me. I've got a nice, thrilling chapter for you, so read on…**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own anything. **

Miles away from the Burrow, an owl was hooting angrily as a man with a scowl and a pointed nose, an equally pointed chin and a generally menacing face struggled to finish a letter as fast as he could. Anger swelled inside him as he finally put the words that were running through his head for years onto paper, directing all his long-lived hatred and fury into the quill in his hand, quivering with malice. Downstairs, out the door of his bedroom and down the ancient staircase, a happy and large family of Muggles was preparing for dinner; he knew he shall be called down any minute, and the speed with which he was writing caused the pointed tip of the quill to cut tiny holes in the parchment. He signed and sealed it, then tied it to the grey owl's outstretched foot, slightly crushing the owl's talons with his clumsy and shivering hands. He ordered the owl to leave to the address he wished, closed the window rapidly and rose so quickly the wooden chair he was sitting on toppled over backwards and he let out a groan of frustration. His heart began to beat faster than ever as he paced around the small but decent room in the big, old house in London. He heard one of his hosts' daughters laugh a most childish and ecstatic laugh. He felt a burn of annoyance. He felt a strong urge to remove his wand from his pocket and simply burn the whole house down; it was a long time since he had felt so angry. He knew that channeling it into the letter did not help; it only made it worse, made his plan seem all the more stupid. Regret surged through him. An image of his enemy's face ran through his head, and he began listing all the reasons he could fail… His enemy is protected, he's powerful, and he's smart… His plan suddenly seemed idiotic, as likely to succeed as a troll is likely to become Minister for Magic. He realized his real weakness is his lack of confidence, which shone from his deceased mentor. However, trying to convince himself it was going to succeed did not help in the slightest, and he felt a stabbing headache coursing through him.

_No_, he reassured himself. _You have thought this through, you've been planning it for months, it can't possibly fail_…

His thoughts were cut by his hostess, a young brunette Muggle with a flowery apron folded in her hand and a purple bow in her hair, still laughing from her husband's latest joke, her earrings flailing and her teeth shining as she grinned widely while entering the guestroom in which the man was staying.

"We're having dinner in a few minutes, come on down," she said, still smiling delightfully, though her face was darkened slightly by her guest's bleak expression.

The man smiled a forced smile and descended down the stairs, the smell of delicious turkey and potatoes misting his mind; but he was not hungry, not in the slightest. But he ate; he binged on potatoes with ketchup and gulped down two tumblers filled with apple juice, in an effort not to convey his actual mood. Every time the balding host made a cheesy joke, he laughed a surprisingly convincing laugh like everyone else, and he joined the family as they watched the Daily News. But inside him, fear and rage seemed to engulf his insides, as a single sentence coursed through his mind over and over till he knew wouldn't be able to get it out of his head ever again:

_Potter must die._

------

A knock on the door was heard throughout the house. Mrs. Weasley ran through the first floor, an anxious look on her face, and opened the door.

The rest of the people in the house came to the door as well, all of them looking excited. Everyone had been preparing for this visit for the past week as if it was Bill and Fleur's wedding all over again, and everyone were hoping for it to end already and to see Teddy and Victoire and everyone else.

Andromeda Tonks, a joyful smile on her face and her large eyes twinkling, was standing at the doorstep, holding the hand of a small boy, barely on his two feet, with shiny blue eyes and turquoise-and-flamingo-pink hair, giggling excitedly. Teddy Lupin looked gleeful, and he ran forward to hug everyone, almost toppling over in the process.

Barely a second after Andromeda had walked in through the door and kissed Mrs. Weasley on the cheeks, there were several loud cracks and a small and a handsome family Apparated onto the doorstep.

A man with flaming red hair and severe scarring on his face was standing there, smiling and holding his wife's hand; in his other hand he held a bouquet of lilies.

His wife, Fleur, had Bill's hand in hers and her blonde hair was pulled up to a shimmering knot. Her robes were spotless-white and her newly-born daughter, younger than two months and no larger than a loaf of bread, which had inherited her mother's blonde hair and her father's brown eyes, was in her other arm. Victoire Weasley was hanging passively from her mother's arm and seemed to be awfully tired; she promptly fell asleep once the family stepped inside.

Bill let go of his wife as she placed the sleeping baby in a stroller produced from her wand and walked over to hug his mother. Fleur strode forward with him and kissed Mrs. Weasley once on every cheek; she then moved on to the others, her pink lips twisted in a brilliant smile.

"Where eez Teddy?" She asked with her heavy but decipherable French accent, and when the toddler saw her he ran forwards with his arms outstretched and cried, "Fleur!" and hugged her.

His hair had turned bright red in the moment that Fleur held him; when she let go, it turned fair purple.

"He's learned to control his hair color now," Andromeda said proudly, gazing down at Teddy as he stood straight and flashed his hair in rainbow colors, making excited Fleur clap happily. "It's not really definite yet, but he looks just as talented as his mother was! I'm sure he'll get the hang of the rest in no time."

"'Arry! Ron! 'Ermione! Geeny!" She cried, and hugged them all in turn, while Ginny muttered under her breath, "_Ginny_…" but looked sufficiently happy when she hugged her anyway and received her two kisses.

"Percy and Penelope should be along in a minute, he's quite busy, you know," Mrs. Weasley said proudly. "Kingsley's just promoted him. He has major superiority in the Ministry now."

Even though Percy was 'very busy', he was still oddly punctual, and so, before Mrs. Weasley could finish beaming proudly and lead everyone into the spotless house, Percy and Penelope, a big pregnant belly making her stand out, appeared just outside the still-open doorstep.

"Hello, Mother," Percy said, and walked over to hug Mrs. Weasly. "Father," he added, hugging Mr. Weasley. "Splendid to see you all."

It certainly didn't take long for the rest to pop in – Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic, had not forgotten his friends in the Weasley family once he was granted the post of Minister, and always paid his respects in the Burrow when he could. Charlie also arrived, accompanied by Jessica, a black haired, pretty witch he met in Romania, who was soon to be questioned by Mrs. Weasley the minute she walked through the doorstep.

"So, Jessica," Mrs. Weasley uttered over her turkey, "what do you do?"

"I work in the preserve," she said proudly. "I've always been fascinated by dragons, Mrs. Weasley. I wouldn't have left Britain for any other reason. But when I came across the chance to actually study them up-close, I couldn't have said no!"

"That's lovely, dear," Mrs. Weasley with a gracious smile glued to her face. But her conversation with Enid was cut short when Percy announced something.

"We've got some exciting news," he said joyfully. Harry prepared himself; certainly Percy was going into another one of his baby-rants. But he was pleasantly surprised.

"The Wizengamot has passed Kingsley's latest motion," he began, "according to which, all Dementors will be removed from Azkaban."

They all gasped and whooped in surprise. Harry was filled with joy – his grudge for the Dementors had never passed. He was the one who offered the idea to Kingsley.

"That's fantastic!" said Ginny. "Finally they'll be gone! What are they going to do with them?" she asked Kingsley.

"Well," he began in his deep, booming voice, "we're planning to eradicate them completely, so probably we'll lock them up and keep them in close vicinity of Patronuses, that'll hopefully slow them down rather quickly. Imagine that – no more Dementors! And it's all thanks to you, Harry," Kingsley declared proudly, directing his spoon in Harry's direction."

"Thanks, Minister," Harry said.

Harry could not have felt happier when Hagrid, his hair graying and a wide smile on his gargantuan face, walked in – with difficulty – through the Weasley front door and greeted everyone, apologizing for being late – he said something about an out-of-control Kneazle in the pumpkin patch, but didn't add much.

"Things've bin dashing since ya left," he blurted, having had too much wine. "No offence. Not one security disturbance, not even one! And Minerva's doin' a fantastic job, as ya might think." He burped loudly. "Sorry abou' that," he said. "Huh," he added, looking at his empty glass. "That was only me firs' one." Harry guess Hagrid had gotten confused – it was at least his fourth.

------

Draco Malfoy stared blankly at his knees as he ate his mother's fried potatoes. The small, dark kitchen was deafly silent. He could sense only the blackness of it, the sadness. His mother was barely eating, she was mostly just staring ahead, like she was sleeping with her eyes open, until she noticed, once in a while, that she was awake and shoveled potatoes in her spoon and into her mouth. Draco could barely stand it, but he knew that it was the only way, and so he kept eating, worried that he would become even more worthless if he didn't.

Life has been hard for the Malfoys. All that they had before the war ended – their manor, the honor, the pride, the money, it had all simply dissolved into nothingness, into shame, into fear, and into sadness. Since Lucius was imprisoned, everything changed and everything faltered, like a tower of cards simply collapsing under a breeze. But Draco knew that compared to what could have been, he had it good – it was only thanks to Kingsley's understanding that Draco and Narcissa did not want to be involved that they were in a small apartment in Hogsmeade and not in a dingy Azkaban prison cell.

"Eat your food, Mother," Draco finally said, noticing Narcissa's lethargic situation. "While it hasn't cooled."

"Be quiet, Draco," Narcissa said quietly, her voice barely heard across the table. "Mummy's thinking."

"Well, _Mummy_ should be eating," he said bitterly. "Before the potatoes cool."

"Silence, Draco." Narcissa shoveled a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth, and paused while she chewed. "I'm in no mood."

Experiencing a sudden spurt of energy, Draco shoved his plate forward and stood up so fast his chair fell backwards.

"I've had enough," he said angrily. "I'm leaving this stupid place. I don't need it."

"Draco," Narcissa said weakly. "Don't leave…"

"I don't have a choice," he muttered, just as weakly.

Draco made sure his wand was tucked safely in his pocket and left the small apartment. The street was dark, quieter than usual. All the shops were still open, but no shoppers were around, only cats and the occasional passerby. He walked down the pavement without even looking ahead to see where he was going. All he needed to know was that he was leaving, forever, the terrible place that his father's imprisonment had caused him to settle in. He knew he had to change things, but for now, all he could do was walk, and walk, until he had to stop.

**Sorry about the misery in that last part… I just wanted to show how bad things were for the Malfoys. Also sorry for the long wait, I feel really guilty… I hope it won't happen again.**

**Review please!**

**Dana. **


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